Calm Air maintenance workers join new union

Aircraft maintenance engineers at Calm Air are in the process of moving to a new union that specializes in the representation of aircraft maintenance crew.

The airline’s approximately 70 employees voted nearly 96 per cent in favour of the move, said Bret Oestreich, national president of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association which now represents them.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board certified their application on Dec. 11.

The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association represents licensed and unlicensed aircraft maintenance technicians, engineers and skilled trade groups in the aviation industry.

Calm Air workers approached the union in June for representation. At the time, they were represented by one of Canada’s largest private sector unions, Unifor.

They wanted representation that was more tailored to their specific employment circumstances and felt that Unifor, which represents employees in 24 different sectors of private industry, wasn’t prioritizing their needs, said Oestreich.

Unifor represents retail, wholesale, roads, transit, telecommunications, fishery, and food and beverage employees.

“There’s really not a lot of commonality with those other groups,” Oestreich said. “That’s why we have been extremely successful, because we only represent [aircraft maintenance engineers] and skilled professionals in aviation.”

Aircraft maintenance engineers and technicians work directly on aircraft and support equipment and facilities at airports.

Justin Gniposky, organizing director for Unifor, said in an email to Nunatsiaq News that “We refute that Unifor has a ‘one size fits all approach.’”

He said aircraft maintenance engineers are represented through Unifor’s aviation council, aerospace council and skilled trades group.

“For months, Unifor and the local fought for Calm Air maintenance workers by listening to their concerns and working with members to dispel misinformation by Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association circulating around their workplaces,” Gniposky said.

Oestreich said workers will continue to be represented by the new union under their current agreement, which expires at the end of the year.

While it is still too early to say exactly when collective bargaining will begin for a new contract — local representatives need to be elected, priorities must be determined, proposals need to be created — he said they would likely be ready to meet at the bargaining table in three to four months.

The employees and national representatives met after their move was certified.

They had “genuine smiles” on their faces, Oestreich said.

“I think the biggest thing for them is they were such a small group within Unifor, they never had any true representation.”

The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association already represents engineers, technicians and skilled trades unions for Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, L3 Harris MAS, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and WestJet Airlines.